Deputy Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong admitted rising numbers of drug addicts and high drug-use areas at the 10th meeting of the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 14.

Of the five criteria in the National Target Programme on Drug Prevention and Control for 2011-2015, two have yet to be met.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the nation declared 4,450 communes and townships drug free in 2010, but the figure fell to a little more than 3,100 last year.

Vuong attributed the situation to ineffective rehabilitation models at home and in the community resulting in a high number of drug relapse cases, as well as insufficient educational communication campaigns about addictive substances.

In 2014, Vietnam had more than 204,000 registered as drug addicts, up 42.7 percent from 2010, he unveiled, adding that the tentacles of the illicit drugs of various kinds have reached a population from different backgrounds, including students, athletes and intellectuals with more diversified kinds.

As of October 2014, there remained 254 major drug hot-pots and over 2,500 focus areas with those in northwest border areas unable to control drug-related crime, said Deputy Head of the committee Bui Sy Loi.

Vuong said the ministry will devise a drug use prevention programme for 2016-2020 to submit to the government for approval.

Chairwoman of the committee Truong Thi Mai suggested adding the programme into the National Target Programmes or the National Target Programme on New Rural Construction.

During the meeting, delegates also heard a report on the implementation of the national target programme on gender equality and the use and management of social insurance for 2014.-VNA